


The Most Important Thing

by afteriwake



Series: Where Speech Ends [18]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-30
Updated: 2015-06-30
Packaged: 2018-04-07 00:19:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4242258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been a month since they returned to London and went back to their lives. On their one year anniversary Sherlock attempts to once again give Molly a grand romantic gesture, but it doesn't go according to plan. What happens in the end, though, is perfect in its own way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Most Important Thing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [horrorfangirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/horrorfangirl/gifts).



> This one, I think, was my second favorite story to write (my favorite is the very last one). I fell in love with this version of "The Only Exception" and it is literally one of the few from Glee that I can stand, but it's just. So. Pretty. So yeah. I had to use this one. Thank you to YouTube users who had the actual clip from the show online so I could see how the song was presented in the episode! I greatly appreciate it.

**What is your biggest pet peeve?**

He was not a person to usually make grand romantic gestures. Small ones occasionally, because they made Molly smile and he would honestly do anything in the world to make her smile, but the large ones had a habit of not going exactly as planned. There had been their sixth month anniversary and the attempt to take Molly away for a weekend before the one Irene had arranged for them, and a few other occasions when they were after Moriarty as well, mostly to help her forget how much her life was in an upheaval. In fact, he was fairly sure that weekend from Irene had only gone as planned because he hadn't been the one planning it. Molly seemed to take it all in stride, though. He was quite thankful for that. But tonight he had been trying to make the grandest romantic gesture he could think of. He had pulled out all the stops because this was their one year anniversary, and he wanted to make it memorable. John had been quite amused when Sherlock began to ask him for his help, and even Mycroft had shaken his head when Sherlock asked him to use his clout to get Sherlock reservations at a restaurant with a six month long waiting list to get a table. He wanted to make damn sure it was a night Molly wouldn't forget.

Unfortunately, he hadn't factored in Molly being too ill to go out.

So instead of dinner at a fancy restaurant and a limo ride around the city to where he had a surprise planned he was sitting on her sofa, arm around her shoulders as she curled into him, a Glee rerun on the telly. He had songs from most of the first two or three seasons memorized since she'd had nearly every album on her iPod when he'd stolen it. Most of it had barely registered but he'd had to admit a few songs were catchy enough. The show itself, however, was rather boring. He'd idly wondered once or twice if Moriarty had thought the same thing when she'd made him watch it. It wasn't a thought he liked to think often, though. The whole matter was done, and he tried to avoid thinking about Moriarty as much as possible.

The ending of the whole thing had been rather anticlimactic, to be honest. Moriarty had done his usual monologue where he gloated about being better than the great Sherlock Holmes. He explained in detail how he'd managed to fake his death, using a blood pack on his back and dosing himself with a poison to slow his heart rate immeasurably. He said how he had no plans for the game to end, and then he'd leveled a gun at Molly and fired a shot. His shot had missed, but six bullets from three guns hit him square in the chest and abdomen and Moriarty had been quite surprised by that. Sherlock had honestly been surprised he hadn't thought to wear body armor of some sort, and so he stood over him and made sure that this time he really was dead. And then they had left, coming back home and trying to settle back into a familiar routine. They'd been back a month and it seemed as though both he and Molly were handling it well enough. It was easier for him this time because he hadn't gone through the experience alone, and he was able to help Molly in whatever ways she needed to readjust to their daily routine. He was glad for things going relatively well, more than anyone realized.

He forced himself to focus his attention back on the episode. The obnoxious blonde cheerleader was speaking and he scowled. She annoyed him greatly, as did almost every other character on the show, and she was prattling on about a solo as the music started. Molly caught the look on his face and grinned slightly. “She'll be quiet in a moment,” she said. “There's going to be a song soon.”

“Good,” he said with a sigh, glancing at his watch. It was now eight thirty-six. Had things gone according to plan they would have left the restaurant and been on their way to the surprise he'd planned. He hated to see his plans in tatters when she deserved so much more.

“You don't have to stay,” she said, pulling away as Rachel began to sing. Rachel was one of two characters whose name he'd bothered to learn because he appreciated that actress's voice the most. Her paramour Finn was the other since they did a lot of songs together. “I know this wasn't what you'd planned for us tonight.”

“I can stay,” he said, focusing more on the song. This song was a particular favorite. It quite encapsulated how he felt about Molly and their relationship. “It wouldn't do for me to leave you in your sickbed while you're still awake, anyway.”

“Yes, but I mean, you probably had elaborate plans. Mary hinted at it,” she said. “What were they?”

“Well, if I tell you, I can't surprise you when you feel better, though I doubt we'll get a reservation again at the restaurant for quite some time,” he said. “But it was dinner at an exclusive restaurant and a well thought out surprise, which you'll see the remnants of when you return to work in a day or so.” He paused. “I hope.”

“Then I hope I get better soon,” she said, giving him a small smile before snuggling in next to him again. He watched the episode some more and then frowned. This was not how the song was supposed to go. He leaned forward, grabbing the remote from her table and backing up the episode. Molly had been jostled by his sudden movement and now wore a frown on her face. “Sherlock?”

“That's not how the song goes,” he said. “It's incomplete.”

“Well, it's because of time constraints. They have so many songs in the episodes that not all of them show the full version,” she said.

“But it left out the important part. It left out the part of the song that actually matters,” he said, getting irritated. He had no real reason to; it was simply a song on a television program. It wasn't as though he couldn't listen to the full version any time he wanted. But it seemed as though it was just another thing that was wrong about tonight, and it grated at him.

She studied him closely for a moment. “Do you want to hear the whole song, Sherlock?” she asked gently. “I have that one on my computer.”

He nodded. “I would.”

She moved slightly and reached over to the table on the other side of the sofa. He leaned back into the sofa again as she got her laptop and opened iTunes. It took her a moment but then the song started. She kept it on her lap as Lea Michelle began to sing. “I take it this is one of the songs from Glee you actually like?” she asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked at him.

He nodded. “It's a very fitting song,” he said. “It describes our relationship from my point of view very well. The second verse especially, though. The first verse doesn't quite apply as I've never seen either my father or mother broken hearted.”

She nodded. “It's been a very long time since I've really listened to it,” she said.

“I've been listening to it more frequently,” he said quietly. “I've been thinking about our relationship quite a bit lately.”

“And what kind of thoughts have you had?” she asked as the break came between the chorus and the second verse. He didn't reply, intent on listening to the verse.

 _Maybe I know somewhere_   
_Deep in my soul_  
 _That love never lasts_  
 _And we've got to find other ways_  
 _To make it alone_  
 _Keep a straight face_  
 _And I've always lived like this, keeping a comfortable distance_  
 _And up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content_  
 _With loneliness_  
 _Because none of it was ever worth the risk_

_Well you are the only exception_   
_You are the only exception_   
_You are the only exception_   
_You are the only exception_

He watched her eyes widen slightly. He'd said things like this before to her, that she was the only one he could see himself being in love with, making a relationship work with. But she needed to know all of it, the true depth of it all. He leaned over and took the laptop off of her lap, setting it next to her on the sofa. Then he shifted so that he had his back against the arm and could look at her. After a moment, though, he changed his mind. He stood up and went to her chair, where he'd draped his coat over the back of it. He went for the pocket and pulled out the small jewelry box, keeping it hidden from her view for the moment. The bridge was starting when he spoke again. “I have spent so much of my life alone. Not necessarily lonely; for a few years now I've had friends, and that has been very good. But even then, to an extent, I've kept myself closed off a bit. Even from John. I've been that way around everyone except you. I mean, even with you there are times I am not quite as open as I could be, but I don't purposefully keep parts of myself from you. You know me better than anyone. You are the exception in my life, in that you know all of me.”

He turned and came closer, standing in front of the sofa for a moment, and then getting down on one knee in front of her. Her eyes went wider as she straightened up. “Sherlock...” she said.

“Knowing that, knowing the best and the worst of my personality, you've chosen to stay. Tonight I was going to end the evening at St. Bart's, since that is where we first met all those years ago. There are approximately twenty-four vases of roses, dozens in different colors, in your office at the moment because that was where I had planned on doing this.” A smile crossed her face and he relaxed. She didn't seem to mind the much less romantic way he was doing this. He opened the box and looked at her reaction to seeing the ring, which his mother had excitedly given to him when he told her what he was planning. It was a white gold ring, with a prominent circular diamond and braiding on both sides dotted with sapphires, and her smile widened as she looked down at it. “I wanted to make sure it was as different from your last engagement ring as I could make it while still making sure it was something you would actually want to wear. This particular ring happened to belong to my grandmother.” He reached over for her hand. “I love you and I want to give this to you and ask if you will do me the honor of marrying me, and remaining in my life until we're no longer on this earth.”

“Oh, yes. Absolutely yes,” she said, nodding emphatically before spreading her fingers slightly so he could slip the ring onto her finger. He did, and then she looked up from the ring to him. “I probably shouldn't kiss you right now, no matter how much I want to.”

“I've had my flu vaccine this year so I'll risk it,” he said. He moved and sat back on the sofa and she leaned in, pressing her lips against his in a soft kiss.

When she was done she smiled up at him widely. “Oh, I do love you.”

“I know,” he said, gathering her up in his arms and pulling her close. She settled against him. “Was that a good proposal?”

“It was an excellent one,” she said approvingly. “I actually think I like it more than the grand gesture you'd planned. It's more heartfelt.”

“I'm glad,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “Do you want to go back to watching Glee?”

“I think I'd like to just sit here and talk, maybe, until I fall asleep,” she said. “Just promise me that if I fall asleep on the sofa you'll carry me to bed and then join me.”

“Of course,” he said. They both shifted a bit until they were comfortable again and then she started to talk and he got lost in the conversation. Even though things had not gone according to plan, he realized that it had gone better than he had hoped for, and he was incredibly thankful for that. She would stay with him until death took one of them away, and that was what he had hoped for.


End file.
